Educational Science

Deadly Jellyfish Blooms Predictable, New Study Finds

The key to predicting the presence of tiny, venomous and nearly invisible jellyfish may be blowing in the wind, new research finds. The discovery, linking the appearance of teeny-tiny jellies off the coast of Australia with wind patterns, could lead to a way to prevent stings, researchers report today (May...

Mysterious 'Cosmic' Jellyfish Spotted in Remote Ocean Depths

An ethereal, 'cosmic' jellyfish was spotted in some of the deepest reaches of the ocean, hovering near a previously unexplored seamount. The luminous sea creature, which may be a completely new species, was spotted by a remotely operated underwater vehicle (ROV) roughly 9,800 feet (3,000 meters) below sea level in...

With their gelatinous bodies, strandlike tentacles and other strange features, jellyfish appear to be very different from other types of animals. But are their mating behaviors also bizarre? There are almost 4,000 species of jellyfish, according to Cheryl Lewis Ames, a jellyfish researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park....

Lowly Jellyfish Uses High-Tech Strategy to Find Food

The barrel jellyfish, isn't just the largest jelly found in the waters around the United Kingdom, it's also one of the animal kingdom's most strategic searchers, according to a new study. To locate the best possible meal in the vast waters of its marine habitat, the barrel jellyfish (Rhizostoma octopus)...

Secret Lives of Flower Hat Jellyfish Revealed

For decades, flower hat jellyfish managed to keep their early lives a secret. In adulthood, the jellyfish are striking, with a nest of fluorescent tentacles that look like party streamers, but pack a nasty sting. In infancy, well, scientists didn't know. Aquarists tried, unsuccessfully, to raise the animals in tanks...

Billions of Blue Jellyfish Setting Sail for Beaches

Expect another bountiful crop of blue jellies this year along West Coast beaches. Billions of by-the-wind sailors, also called Velella velella, could wash ashore in coming months because of favorable water temperatures and onshore winds, scientists say. People have already spotted thousands of the baseball-size creatures at beaches from Washington...

Mix-n-Match Arms: Jellyfish Rearrange Limbs After Injury

Common moon jellies have an uncommon fix for injuries: When they lose limbs, they don't regrow them. Instead, they rearrange their entire bodies to stay symmetrical despite the loss. This symmetrization is a never-before-seen method of self-repair, and one that probably helps jellies stay alive in the wild. Jellyfish are...

The Beautiful New Jellyfish Identified in the Gulf of Venice

This article was originally published at The Conversation. The publication contributed the article to Live Science's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. A bloom of new jellyfish started appearing in the Gulf of Venice last autumn. They were first detected by a fisherman from Chioggia in north-east Italy when hundreds of...

Tiny 'Jellyfish' Team Up for Multi-Jetpack Swimming

A jellyfishlike creature that swims using an array of jetpacks could transform the way engineers design underwater exploration vehicles, suggests a recent study. Meet Nanomia bijuga, a relative of jellies, anemones and corals. This siphonophore navigates the ocean in colonies measuring about 12 inches (30 centimeters) long. Most of that...

Live Jellyfish Cam Offers Stunning Views of Sea Nettles

Bored with all the vertebrates in your wildlife-cam media diet? The Monterey Bay Aquarium in California is now streaming mesmerizing live footage of its jellyfish. Specifically, the aquarium is showing off Pacific sea nettles, or Chrysaora fuscescens, a species that drifts through the eastern Pacific from Mexico to Canada. You...